Sleeping With Your Eyes Open

Nocturnal Lagophthalmos is a condition when the eyes do not

fully shut when a person falls asleep.

This is usually caused by something abnormal about the

eyelid that prevents it from closing fully like a shortening

of the upper or lower eyelids. It can also be caused by

things like medication of alcohol, or any damage to the

facial nerve. People that are very near sighted are usually

more at risk because of the cone-shaped cornea.



This relates to optics because it can affect your eyes and

vision severely if not taken care of. Severe dry and red eyes

are a main symptom of this condition. It can cause patients to

develop things from minimal corneal shape changes which can

go back to normal throughout the day, to severe corneal ulcers
which can cause blindness or severe damage.


Janelle


http://www.sgecm.org.tw/db/Jour/2/200906/1.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16671223